


With Interest

by leopardchic79



Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Drinking, Fluff, Gambling, M/M, Not Beta Read, Post-Crooked Kingdom, just unrequited past feelings, not really kaz/jesper at all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-09-13 07:45:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9113335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leopardchic79/pseuds/leopardchic79
Summary: Jesper is restless and still figuring himself out.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little post-Crooked Kingdom fluff. Because I love these kids so, so much!

Jesper woke up to the sound of crows. His first thought was to keep his eyes shut in the hopes that he might fall back asleep. His head was pounding relentlessly. 

He groaned, sounding pitiful, and dug his fingers into his scalp, trying to massage the headache away. It was a useless endeavor, he knew, but it felt the smallest bit better for a few moments. 

“Hangover?” 

His eyes sprung open at the sound of Wylan’s voice. He sounded…strange. 

Carefully, he pulled the blankets down and looked around the room, careful to make sure he didn’t make any sudden movements and increase the pain in his head. It was Kaz’s room, Kaz’s bed he was in. And sitting in a chair a few feet away in the center of Kaz’s room was Wylan. 

He ran his tongue over his lips, hating how dry and scratchy his mouth felt. He sat up slowly, wary of the room spinning a little and looked more fully at the other boy. 

Wylan sat uncomfortably still on a wooden chair, arms crossed over his chest, eyes wary, expression guarded. The crows cawed again and made Jesper jump. He pulled his knees up to his chest so he could rest his elbows on them and lean his still-aching head against his hands. 

“You didn’t have to come here, Wy,” he said softly. “I was planning on coming…home today.” It was still tough to say the word home when referring to the house that he and Wylan shared. Wylan’s father’s house… _Wylan’s_ house. It wasn’t because he didn’t love the idea of sharing a house – and his life – with Wylan. It was just…difficult to get used to something so permanent. And that had nothing to do with Wylan and everything to do with Jesper. 

“You were planning on coming home? After disappearing for three days?” 

He sounded angry, which would normally amuse Jesper, but not in this way. It was laced with hurt, and Jesper never wanted him to sound hurt. He especially didn’t want to be the one to make him sound that way. 

“ _When_ were you planning on coming home? After you got out of Kaz’s bed?” he spat, eyes flashing brightly with hurt now. He stood up and crossed the room to the window. 

And now Jesper understood the hurt better. He shook his head and pushed back the blankets, grateful he had fallen asleep in all of his clothes. Shivering as his feet touched the cold floor, he stood up slowly, still minding his headache and crossed the room slowly. His ankle ached a bit from where he’d slipped yesterday, running on his way back from the job for Kaz, thinking he might have gotten caught. Thankfully, he hadn’t, but the rain-slicked cobblestones had been a bit tricky to navigate. 

He laid a hand on the back of Wylan’s neck and squeezed gently. Wylan drew in a shuddering breath and stepped a little closer. Jesper reached out with his other hand to lace their fingers together, smiling a bit when Wylan squeezed his hand. 

“Kaz gave away my room months ago. He let me sleep off the drinks here…rather generous for our dear leader when you think about it,” he rambled a bit, feeling guilty. There was no reason for guilt where Kaz was concerned and he was fairly certain Wylan knew that, but Jesper _had_ left for three days without much of an explanation or reason. And Wylan deserved better than that. 

He felt the need to reassure him anyway. “I don’t even know where Kaz slept last night…or if he slept at all. You know him, he was probably counting _kruge_ or scheming or…whatever else it is he does,” he went on, knowing he was rambling again but unable to help himself. 

Finally, he turned Wylan gently so he could see his eyes and he placed both hands on the sides of his face. “Wy, you know there’s nothing between me and Kaz,” he said earnestly. “Even when I…when I _wanted_ there to be something, there was nothing.” It was a confession of sorts that he’d never really said out loud. Not to Wylan anyway. He was pretty certain that Wylan had already guessed it, but admitting it now seemed different. It seemed important. “And I don’t want anything now,” he added, voice softer now as he ran his fingers over the soft skin of Wylan’s neck. “I haven’t for a long time. I only want you.” 

Wylan sighed softly and stepped closer, wrapping his arms around Jesper’s back. Jesper returned his embrace and pressed their foreheads together gently. “I know there’s nothing between you and Kaz,” Wylan said softly. “And I know how you feel about me, I _trust_ how you feel about me. I just…I don’t understand why you left.” 

And that was, of course, more difficult. Jesper still wasn’t completely sure himself. 

~*~*~ 

“You want a job?” 

Jesper rolled his eyes. “Yes, Kaz. A job. I still have this tattoo,” he said, tapping his forearm unconsciously. “I’m still in the Dregs. I want in on whatever job you have going.” 

Kaz’s eyes were, as always, unreadable, but he stared at Jesper just long enough to make him fidget. But before Jesper could say another word, Kaz was shrugging and looking away. “Fine. Anika and Rotty could use your help on something. Neither of them are as good of a shot.” 

Jesper raised an eyebrow curiously and leaned back in his chair, with a smirk on his face. “Did you just give me a compliment?” 

Kaz’s gaze hardened, but Jesper held up his hands in surrender before he could say anything else. “Just give me the details.” 

It wasn’t a particularly difficult job – although after the Ice Court and what they’d pulled in Ketterdam last year, nothing seemed quite as difficult. But it was satisfying in a way that nothing else had been for a while. 

Living with Wylan was wonderful in many ways. He had a far more luxurious house and life than he’d ever had before, he didn’t owe anyone money, and most of all, he had Wylan. But he’d been anxious and unsettled for months. He’d promised Wylan he’d work with a Fabrikator but without going to Ravka, they weren’t exactly easy to find. None that were willing to sit around and train him in the skills he’d never really learned how to develop anyhow. 

But despite settling into his comfortable routine for the most part, he missed the Dregs, he missed the Barrel, he missed…the danger. There was, of course, the nagging voice in the back of his head that also kept insisting that he missed gambling. But he was doing his best to try and keep it quiet. 

He knew it didn’t exactly make sense, but the unpredictable, dangerous nature of most of the jobs he pulled with the Dregs calmed him. He had missed that over the past year, so he had come to Kaz asking for a job and praying that he didn’t ask too many questions. He hadn’t of course, being Kaz, but Jesper had seen the look of curiosity flash briefly through his eyes anyway. In some way, it was nice to know he cared – or at least maybe-sort-of-cared – but Jesper was just thankful he’d said yes. 

Of course, in the end, he ended up being suspicious that Kaz was going easy on him. An odd prospect, to be sure, but it made Jesper wonder. Because swindling a corrupt mercher with unscrupulous ties to several slaver ships out of more than a quarter of his fortune had turned out to be surprisingly easy. Sure, there _might_ have been a need for him to shoot someone, but as far as Jesper could tell it had been extremely low. 

So the danger had been minimal, but the adrenaline had been welcome anyway. The only problem was the danger he was facing now was something he found far more daunting. He had hesitated only briefly when Anika and Rotty had insisted he come along to the Crow Club after they’d completed their job. He sat with them now, sipping a drink and only half-listening to their conversation. The rest of his attention was inevitably drawn to the tables and cards. 

His thoughts flashed to Wylan and he frowned, already hating the thought of disappointing him, but unable to resist. He made a fool’s bargain with himself, thinking that he’d only play a few games. He had money after all – despite most of his fortune still being in his father’s name. He’d only stay for a little while and then leave. But the bargain only lasted so long as it took him to win a few hands. And then he was hooked. 

Hours later, the room was spinning from too many drinks and he was over two grand in the hole. He folded again, and looked up when he felt someone looming over him. 

Kaz had a look of curiosity and disappointment on his face. Although Jesper was sure must be imagining the disappointment, because why would Kaz _care_? 

“My office,” he said, voice gravelly and low. 

Jesper wanted to argue, but Kaz was already walking away and their dealer was already skipping him as he dealt cards to everyone else at the table. Annoyed, Jesper downed the rest of his drink and stood up, noting immediately that the room was spinning slightly. Maybe he’d lost count of the drinks as well as his money. But he made his way steadily to Kaz’s office and shut the door behind him, sliding into a chair across from his desk, grateful that the spinning stopped. 

“I was doing better,” he mumbled insolently. 

Kaz’s eyes flashed with annoyance. “No, you weren’t,” he replied flatly. “You owe me money.” 

Jesper glared at him. “I _know_.” The buzz from the alcohol was dissolving into something more draining. All of the restless energy he’d felt prior to tonight’s job was coming back. He wished he knew how to make it stop in any way other than gambling. 

Kaz’s dark eyes softened slightly, although it was difficult to gauge. Jesper wasn’t entirely sure he hadn’t just imagined it. He no longer harbored an ill-advised crush on him, but he couldn’t shake the desire for _some_ sort of affection from Kaz. 

“Why aren’t you at home?” Kaz asked, propping his bad leg up on a nearby chair and leaning back slightly. 

Jesper shook his head. “I don’t know how to answer that.” 

“It’s not a particularly difficult question, Jes,” Kaz replied, a brief flash of amusement lighting up his features. 

Sighing, Jesper leaned forward a bit and rested his elbows against his knees. It _was_ when he wasn’t sure where home really was. And it was a difficult conclusion to reach. He knew he belonged with Wylan, but sometimes he wasn’t sure exactly where he fit in. He missed his life with the Dregs, but he didn’t want it back permanently. And he had no intentions of leaving Wylan or stopping in assisting him with running his father’s business. 

“I don’t know, Kaz. I’m…restless,” he answered finally. He shrugged and smiled a little like it was no big deal and hoped he would leave it at that. 

“You’re always restless,” Kaz replied. “Why is this different?” 

Jesper glared at him again. “Why are you so concerned?” he shot back. “You’ve never been before,” he added under his breath. Of all the times he had wanted to be the sole-focus of Kaz’s attentions, this wasn’t one of them. He just wanted to ignore this until it went away. Impractical, he knew, but it was what he wanted nevertheless. 

“Well, for one thing, I’d like to know if I should be keeping you in mind for future jobs or not,” Kaz replied, tone brusque now. 

Jesper groaned in frustration and slumped in his chair, running a hand over his face; he hadn’t wanted to lose somewhat-friendlier Kaz either. “I’m sorry, Kaz. I’m just…more restless than usual. Also, the room is starting to spin more now and that makes it difficult to…think.” 

“Do not even _think_ about getting sick in here Jesper.” 

“How about outside then?” He stood up abruptly and rushed out of Kaz’s office and out the side door of the club to empty the contents of his stomach all over the street. He swore and leaned back against the cool bricks on the side of the building, feeling both better and worse now. He really shouldn’t have drank as much as he had. The cool air felt good against his skin though and he tried to stay as still as possible and breathe deeply, which seemed to help. 

When he heard the door next to him open, he opened his eyes and was more than a little surprised to find Kaz, leaning on his cane and watching him. “Can you walk to the Slat?” he asked. “Because I’m not carrying you.” 

Jesper nodded and pushed away from the wall. He felt a little shaky and his mouth tasted awful, but he felt much better than he had just a few minutes ago. “I’ll be fine.” 

They walked in silence most of the way, but it was surprisingly comfortable. 

The Slat didn’t exactly feel like home anymore – Jesper was half hoping that it would, half hoping that it wouldn’t. He wasn’t quite ready to be done with the Dregs, but he also knew he couldn’t come back here permanently. 

“I gave away your room,” Kaz said as they walked inside. Jesper rolled his eyes and smirked. He really hadn’t expected anything different. “You can sleep in mine.” Now _that_ he hadn’t been expecting. 

He followed Kaz up the stairs, noting the glances directed their way. There was a strange sort of admiration and respect in their eyes. For the most part Jesper knew it was for Kaz, but his part in the scheme with Van Eck hadn’t gone unnoticed. 

Jesper wanted to ask why Kaz hadn’t moved to a different room after taking control of the Dregs. Anything would be easier on his leg than the attic bedroom. But Jesper already suspected the answer had everything to do with Inej. Wisely, he kept those thoughts to himself. 

“Kaz…I can sleep somewhere else if you’d rather.” 

Kaz stared at him and pointed wordlessly at his bed with his cane. Jesper, still feeling the effects of too many drinks could only argue silently for so long, before he slipped off his shoes and sank into the bed. Kaz crossed the room to sit at his desk, working on books for the club. Jesper watched him silently as he settled against his pillows and pulled a blanket around him. 

The situation was a bit surreal. “A few months ago I would’ve done just about anything to be in your bed,” he murmured, and then froze when he realized he’d said it out loud. He really needed to watch how many drinks he had in one sitting. 

For a few moments he thought that maybe Kaz hadn’t even heard him as he hadn’t looked up from whatever it was he was working on. But Jesper wasn’t so lucky, and eventually Kaz did look up slowly and meet his eyes. Jesper felt his cheeks heat with embarrassment, but Kaz’s expression was surprisingly kind. Jesper was trapped in his gaze until Kaz let the smallest of smiles cross his lips and then he looked back down at his work. 

Jesper swore and buried his face in the pillow. “You _knew_. You knew all the time.” 

Kaz simply shrugged and nodded. 

Jesper didn’t know what else to say so he said nothing, turning to lie on his back and stare at the ceiling again. This shouldn’t really be important now, but somehow it was. 

“I…I didn’t know how to let you down any way other than…cruelly,” Kaz said suddenly, voice low. Jesper tilted his head slightly, but Kaz hadn’t looked up. “So…I said nothing and pretended to be oblivious.” 

Jesper was dumbfounded, but also…touched. He had always counted Kaz as a friend, but had never been sure that Kaz felt the same. It was never easy to tell with him, and Jesper had never really known if he was anything more than just someone Kaz needed for jobs. 

He knew better than to say anything in reply. But he smiled when Kaz glanced up briefly and met his eyes again. Jesper pulled the blankets back up and let himself fall asleep to the sound of Kaz’s pen scratching against paper. 

~*~*~ 

Wylan squeezed Jesper’s hand and moved closer to pull him into a tight hug. They stood that way silently for a while, content. 

“I’m sorry for leaving without much warning, Wy,” Jesper murmured into his hair. “I still don’t know exactly why I felt the need to. I just…feel so restless sometimes and I’m not sure how to fix it.” 

“I think you know where to start,” Wylan answered. 

Jesper frowned and pulled away from their embrace slightly, still gripping onto Wylan’s arms. “I know I promised to work with a Fabrikator, but…” 

“Jes, don’t you think it might help? Don’t you think that maybe your restlessness has something to do with your powers? And the fact that you don’t use them very often or don’t know the full potential of how they work? Couldn’t that be contributing to the way you feel?” 

Jesper sighed and looked away from Wylan to gaze out Kaz’s window. He supposed that Wylan had a point. It had crossed his own mind once or twice. But he usually tried to actively avoid thoughts of his powers. Years of conditioning in childhood made it a hard fear to break: being Grisha. 

“But there aren’t any Fabrikators around…none willing to take the time to teach me anything anyway…and we can’t exactly pick up and go to Ravka,” Jesper protested. 

“What if we didn’t have to?” 

Jesper looked at him curiously. “What do you mean?” 

Wylan looked a little guilty, but he took a deep breath and answered. “So Kaz came to see me last night…” 

“He what?” 

“And he told me where you were--” 

“Did he now?” 

“And he told me that Inej was going to look for a Fabrikator who might be willing to help. If she finds one, she’ll bring him or her back to Ketterdam when she returns again.” Wylan said it quickly, probably thinking Jesper would interrupt him again. 

Instead Jesper simply stared at him, shocked. “Kaz…Kaz, told you this.” 

Wylan nodded, and then looked down, a bit of a blush on his cheeks. “Well, I…I sort of knew that she might be looking.” 

Jesper felt his heart ache happily. He smiled warmly and reached out to squeeze Wylan’s upper arm. “And why did you know that?” 

Wylan blushed more deeply. “Um, well…Kaz and Inej and I sort of, uh, talked about it before…and she offered to look so…” 

“Wylan Van Eck, have you been conspiring with Kaz Brekker and The Wraith over my well-being?” he teased. He thought that maybe Wylan was expecting him to be angry, but the only thing he felt was touched. It made him feel warm and loved and _safe_ to know that Wylan cared so much. And well…Kaz wanting to help was a surprisingly nice touch. 

“Are you still here?” 

Surprised, they both looked over to the door at the sound of Kaz’s voice. For someone who used a cane and visibly limped up the stairs, he was very good at silently sneaking into places. 

But despite his headache and Kaz’s glare, Jesper was feeling better than he had in a while. He wrapped his arm around Wylan’s shoulders and grinned. “We were just leaving. Thanks for your hospitality, Kaz.” 

Kaz wasn’t so quick to let them go though, pushing his cane up against the door frame and blocking their way. “You owe me two-thousand _kruge_ , Jesper,” he said flatly. 

Wylan made a frustrated noise of anger. “Really, Kaz?” Jesper knew there was a reproach there directed at him, but his anger for the moment was for Kaz. 

But Jesper shook his head. “I know. I’ll have it for you by the end of the week.” 

Kaz raised an eyebrow. He still hadn’t moved his cane from the door. “With interest then.” 

Jesper rolled his eyes and was quick to grab Wylan before he attempted to do something stupid. “ _With interest_ ,” he answered seriously. But he smiled at Kaz the second he lowered his cane. Even Kaz being Kaz couldn’t do much to dim the feeling of contentment he was feeling now. He only hoped it would last. “Thanks again, Kaz.” 

Wylan didn’t let up on his glare, but Jesper simply tugged him along and down the stairs. It was still early for The Barrel and there were only a few people walking in the streets, most looking bleary and moving slowly. Jesper squeezed Wylan’s hand tightly and turned to face him as they made their way towards home. 

“I’m glad you came to find me, Wy,” he murmured, a warm smile on his face. “Even if you already knew where I was.” 

Wylan smiled, his earlier anger forgotten for the moment. “You’re welcome, Jes. I…I missed you. And I know that sometimes you need to…” 

Jesper shook his head and reached out to slide his hand to the back of Wylan’s neck. “I know we need to talk more, but let’s leave it until we get home at least.” He pressed their foreheads together and smiled softly at him. When Wylan blushed and nodded, Jesper’s smile grew and he pressed it warmly to Wylan’s lips. 


End file.
